Stacking container

ABSTRACT

A stackable container capable of being cross-stacked with other containers. The stackable container includes a plurality of sidewalls, a bottom wall, and an open top. The bottom wall is connected to respective top and bottom edges of the sidewalls. The top edges have alternating raised and lowered sections and the bottom edges have complementary alternating raised and lowered sections for securing the container in a stacked configuration with a second container, such that the bottom wall does not protrude into the interior of the second container.

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No.60/674,148 filed on Apr. 22, 2005.

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND

This invention relates to a container, and more particularly, to acontainer capable of being cross-stacked with other containers.

Stackable containers are well known in the art. It is common forstackable containers to incorporate a raised bottom for engaging andstacking with other containers. Typically, the raised bottom is formedby an outwardly-projecting structure molded onto the bottom of thecontainer which is sized to fit within the opening of another containerto provide secure engagement between the containers. The projectingbottom structure may also allow containers of varying sizes to becross-stacked. Cross-stacking refers to the stacking of various sizecontainers within a family of containers on one another. That is, alarge container can be stacked on top of several smaller containers orvice versa. While the molded structure provides a stacking engagementbetween containers, it also protrudes into the top of the containerbelow, reducing the interior volume of the container. Additionally, theprojecting structure may cause the container to stick or hang-up onwheel-type conveyor systems.

Accordingly, there is a need for a stacking container having a flatbottom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a container thatcan be

It is another object of the invention to provide a container that can becross-stacked with containers of different sizes.

It is another object of the invention to provide a container that doesnot protrude into the interior of another container when they arestacked together.

It is another object of the invention to provide a container that can becross-stacked with other containers without incurring any interiorvolume penalties.

It is another object of the invention to provide a container that has aflat bottom.

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in thepreferred embodiments disclosed below by providing a stackablecontainer. The stackable container includes a plurality of sidewallshaving respective top and bottom edges, a bottom wall connected to thebottom edges of the sidewalls, and a top opening defined by the topedges. The top edges have alternating raised and lowered sections andthe bottom edges have complementary alternating raised and loweredsections for securing the container in a stacked configuration with asecond container, such that the bottom wall does not protrude into theinterior of the second container.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the topedges further include an outwardly-projecting rim.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the raisedand lowered sections of the top edge are defined by the rim.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottomedges further include an outwardly-projecting rib.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the raisedand lowered sections of the bottom edge are defined by the rib.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the raisedsections and lowered sections are spaced for allowing containers ofvarious sizes to be cross-stacked.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, thecontainer has four sidewalls disposed in a rectangular relationship, twoof the opposed sidewalls each includes two spaced-apart raised sections,each of the respective raised sections is positioned near the corners ofthe container.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottomwall includes at least one raised surface projecting into the interiorof the container for allowing smaller containers to be stacked with thecontainer.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, a stackablecontainer includes a plurality of sidewalls having respective top andbottom edges, a bottom wall connected to the sidewalls, and a topopening defined by the top edges; and an outwardly-protruding ribdisposed on the bottom edges and an outwardly-protruding rim disposed onthe top edges for supporting a second container. The rib and rim eachhave a plurality of complementary alternating raised and loweredsections for securing the container in a stacked configuration with thesecond container, such that the bottom wall does not protrude into theinterior of the second container.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, a stackablecontainer includes a plurality of sidewalls having respective top andbottom edges, a bottom wall connected to the sidewalls, and a topopening defined by the top edges. The top edges have a plurality ofprojections and the bottom edges have complementary recesses forsecuring the container in a stacked configuration with a secondcontainer.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, thestackable container further includes a plurality of corner posts.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the recessesare disposed within the corner posts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Some of the objects of the invention have been set forth above. Otherobjects and advantages of the invention will appear as the inventionproceeds when taken in conjunction with the following drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows a exploded view of a container according to an embodimentof the invention stacked with two smaller containers;

FIG. 2 shows a top plan view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2A shows a bottom plan view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a top plan view of one of the two smaller containers ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3A shows a bottom plan view of one of the two smaller containers ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a container according to a secondembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4A shows a bottom perspective view of the container of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a container according to a thirdembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a first variation of the container ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a second variation of the containerof FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a third variation of the container ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of a container according to a fourthembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9A shows a bottom perspective view of the container of FIG. 9;

FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a first variation of the containerof FIG. 9; and

FIG. 10A shows a bottom perspective view of the container of FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND BEST MODE

Referring now specifically to the drawings, an exemplary containeraccording to an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1,2, and 2A and shown generally at reference numeral 10. The container 10includes a bottom wall 11 and integrally-molded sidewalls 12A-12D joinedto the bottom wall 11 along respective bottom edges of the sidewalls12A-12D. The bottom wall 11 includes two molded-in bottom recesses 20Aand 20B. The recesses 20A and 20B may be separated, as shown, ofdifferent sizes, or connected to form a groove across the bottom wall 11of the container 10. A lower perimeter 13 is defined by the bottom edgesof the sidewalls 12A-12D. An upper perimeter 15 is defined by a top edgeof the container 10. The container 10 is made of a material suitable forsupporting containers in a stacked configuration and for providing along life cycle. In the illustrated example, the container 10 is made ofa polyethylene plastic.

The lower perimeter 13 includes a plurality of alternating raised andlowered sections. The raised sections form recesses 16A-16H. Asillustrated, the lower perimeter 13 may include an outwardly-projectingrib 14, the raised and lowered sections being defined thereby.

The upper perimeter 15 also includes a plurality of alternating raisedand lowered sections. The raised sections form projections 18A-18H. Asillustrated, the upper perimeter 15 may include an outwardly-projectingrim 17, the raised and lowered sections being defined thereby.

The recesses 16A-16H and projections 18A-18H are spaced in acomplimentary relation to one another to allow stacking with similarcontainers of the same size as container 10 and also with similarcontainers of smaller size, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The rib 14 and rim 17 may be of any suitable width for supportinganother container in a cross-stacked configuration. For example, thewidth can be substantially equivalent to the thickness of the sidewalls12A-12D of container 10 or greater than the sidewalls 12A-12D, as shownin FIG. 1.

The orientation of the sidewalls 12A-12D with respect to the bottom wall11 prevents the container 10 from nesting within an identical container(not shown), allowing the containers to be stacked without a loss ofinterior volume, and providing a stack height equal to the height of thesidewalls 12A-12D. In other words, the bottom wall 11 does not protrudeinto the other container.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 3A, a container 30 is substantially similarto container 10. Container 30 includes a bottom wall 31, sidewalls32A-32D, rib 34, rim 37, recesses 36A-36F, and projections 38A-38F.Container 30 is one-half the size of container 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, container 10 may be cross-stacked with thesmaller, similar container 30 and with another container 30′ identicalto container 30 by positioning the recesses 16A-16H of container 10 inalignment with the projections 38A-38D on rim 37 of container 30 andidentical projections 38A′, 38D′-38F′ on rim 37′ of another container30′. The projections 38E and 38F of container 30 and projections 38B′and 38C′ of container 30′ are positioned for being received in thebottom recesses 20A and 20B in the bottom wall 11. The engagement of theprojections and recesses of the containers 10, 30, and 30′ secures themin a stacked configuration.

As illustrated, the projections 38B, 38C, 38E, and 38F of container 30,and 38B′, 38C′, 38E′, and 38F′ of container 30′ are positioned at ornear the corners of the containers 30 and 30′. The positioning of theseprojections in this manner allows the bottom recesses 20A and 20B to bepositioned for minimal intrusion into the container 10 while providingsecure cross-stacking of multiple containers 10, 30, and 30′. This sameprinciple may be applied to the projections 18A, 18B, 18E, and 18F ofthe container 10 to allow it to efficiently cross-stack with largercontainers.

FIGS. 4 and 4A illustrate a container 100 according to a secondembodiment of the invention. The container 100 includes a bottom wall111 and integrally-molded sidewalls 112A-112D joined to the bottom wall111 along respective bottom edges of the sidewalls 112A-112D. A lowerperimeter 113 is defined by the bottom edges of the sidewalls 112A-112D.The lower perimeter 113 includes a plurality of alternating raised andlowered sections which form projections 116A and 116B. As illustrated,the lower perimeter 113 may include an outwardly-projecting rib 114, theraised and lowered sections being defined thereby. An upper perimeter115 is defined by a top edge of the container 100. The upper perimeter115 includes a plurality of alternating raised and lowered sectionswhich form recesses 118A and 118B. As illustrated, the upper perimeter115 may include an outwardly-projecting rim 117, the raised and loweredsections being defined thereby.

The projections 116A, 116B and recesses 118A, 118B are positioned incomplimentary relation to one another to allow stacking with similarcontainers as well as larger and smaller containers, as described abovewith respect to container 10. However, unlike container 10, theprojections 116A and 116B are positioned on the lower perimeter 113 andproject downwardly therefrom, and the recesses 118A and 118B arepositioned on the upper perimeter 115 and project downwardly therefrom.This is the reverse of container 10 which has recesses 16A-16Hprojecting upwardly from the lower perimeter 13 and projections 18A-18Hprojecting upwardly from the upper perimeter 15.

A third embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 5-8. Asillustrated in FIG. 5, a container 200 includes a bottom wall 211 andintegrally-molded sidewalls 212A-212D joined to the bottom wall 211along respective bottom edges of the sidewalls 212A-212D. A lowerperimeter 213 is defined by the bottom edges of the sidewalls 112A-112D.The lower perimeter 213 includes a plurality of alternating raised andlowered sections which form projections 216 positioned on opposingsidewalls 212A and 212C. As illustrated, the lower perimeter 213 mayinclude an outwardly-projecting rib 214, the raised and lowered sectionsbeing defined thereby. An upper perimeter 215 is defined by a top edgeof the container 200. The upper perimeter 215 includes a plurality ofalternating raised and lowered sections which form projections 218positioned on opposing sidewalls 212A and 212C. As illustrated, theupper perimeter 215 may include an outwardly-projecting rim 217, theraised and lowered sections being defined thereby.

The rim 217 also includes a pair of projections 219A and 219B positionedon opposing sidewalls 212B and 212D. The projections 219A and 219B arelevel with projections 218 and allow a flat bottom surface of anothercontainer to rest thereupon, eliminating the need for projections on theinterior side of the bottom wall as used in container 10 of FIG. 1.

The projections 216 and 218 are disposed in a staggered relationship toone another to allow stacking with similar containers as well as largerand smaller containers.

The rib 214 and rim 217 may be of any suitable width for supportinganother container in a cross-stacked configuration. For example, thewidth can be substantially equivalent to the thickness of the sidewalls212A-212D of container 10 or greater than that of the sidewalls212A-212D, as shown in FIG. 5.

The orientation of the sidewalls 212A-212D with respect to the bottomwall 211 prevents the container 200 from nesting within an identicalcontainer (not shown), allowing the containers to be stacked without aloss of interior volume, and providing a stack height equal to theheight of the sidewalls 212A-212D.

As shown in FIG. 6, a container 300 is substantially similar tocontainer 200 except container 300 has a length greater than that ofcontainer 200. Container 300 includes a bottom wall 311, sidewalls312A-312D, rib 314, rim 317, projections 316, and projections 318.

A container 400, as shown in FIG. 7, has the same width and length ascontainer 200, but has a greater height. Container 400 includes a bottomwall 411, sidewalls 412A-412D, rib 414, rim 417, projections 416, andprojections 418. Container 400 also has extra reinforcing ribs aroundthe sidewalls 412A-412D.

FIG. 8 shows a container 500 substantially similar to container 400except container 500 has a length greater than that of container 400.Container 500 includes a bottom wall 511, sidewalls 512A-512D, rib 514,rim 517, projections 516, projections 518, and reinforcing ribs.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5-8, the dimensions of the containers 200, 300,400, and 500 may be varied to accommodate a user's needs. In order forthe different sized containers to cross-stack properly, the containersshould have bottom areas or “footprints” that are all even divisions ofa pallet size. For example, one common pallet size is 122 cm (48 inches)wide by 114 cm (45 inches) long. As illustrated, the container 200 ofFIG. 5 is 61 cm (24 inches) wide by 56 cm (22 inches) long and thecontainer 300 of FIG. 7 is 61 cm (24 inches) wide by 112 cm (44 inches)long. Thus, the container 300 could stack on top of two containers 200.The same would be true of containers 10 and 30, as illustrated in FIG.1, and containers 100, 400, and 500.

The height of the containers may also be sized to allow variouscontainers to stack with each other and still maintain a level top whichwould allow a palletized load to have a top cap. For example, asillustrated, container 200 has a height of 18.5 cm (7.25 inches) andcontainer 400 has a height of 34.75 cm (13.68 inches). Taking intoaccount the stack overlap between two containers 200, the overall heightof the two containers 200 would be equal to the height of container 400.

A fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 9, 9A, 10, and10A. As illustrated, a container 600 includes a bottom wall 611 andintegrally-molded sidewalls 612A-612D joined to the bottom wall 611along respective bottom edges of the sidewalls 612A-612D. A lowerperimeter 613 is defined by the bottom edges of the sidewalls 612A-612D.The lower perimeter 613 includes a plurality of recesses 616A-616F, asshown in FIG. 9A. As illustrated, the lower perimeter 613 may include anoutwardly-projecting rib 614, the recesses 616A-616F being definedthereby. An upper perimeter 615 is defined by a top edge of thecontainer 600. The upper perimeter 615 includes a plurality ofprojections 618. As illustrated, the upper perimeter 615 may include anoutwardly-projecting rim 617, the projections 618 being defined thereby.

The recesses 616A, 616C, 616D, and 616F are formed in the lower ends ofthe corner posts 621 of the container 600. The recesses 616B and 616Eare positioned in the center of sidewalls 612B and 612D.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 10A, the bottom wall 711 of container 700includes two molded-in bottom recesses 720A and 720B which allow thecontainer 700 to stack with two containers 600 in a manner similar tocontainers 10 and 30 illustrated in FIG. 1. Like the recesses 20A and20B, recesses 720A and 720B may be separated, as shown, of differentsizes, or connected to form a groove across the bottom wall 711 of thecontainer 700.

A cross-stacking container is described above. Various details of theinvention may be changed without departing from its scope. Furthermore,the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the inventionand the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for thepurpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation, theinvention being identified in the claims.

1. A stackable container, comprising a plurality of sidewalls havingrespective top and bottom edges, a bottom wall connected to the bottomedges of the sidewalls, and a top opening defined by the top edges,wherein at least one of the top edges has alternating raised and loweredsections and at least one of the bottom edges has complementaryalternating raised and lowered sections for securing the container in astacked configuration with a second container, such that the bottom walldoes not protrude into the interior of the second container.
 2. Thestackable container according to claim 1, wherein the top edge furtherincludes an outwardly-projecting rim.
 3. The stackable containeraccording to claim 2, wherein the raised and lowered sections of the topedge are defined by the rim.
 4. The stackable container according toclaim 1, wherein the bottom edge further includes anoutwardly-projecting rib.
 5. The stackable container according to claim4, wherein the raised and lowered sections of the bottom edge aredefined by the rib.
 6. A stackable container according to claim 1,wherein the raised sections and lowered sections are spaced for allowingcontainers of various sizes to be cross-stacked.
 7. A stackablecontainer according to claim 1, wherein the container has four sidewallsdisposed in a rectangular relationship, and two of the opposed sidewallseach include two spaced-apart raised sections, the raised sections beingpositioned near the corners of the container.
 8. A stackable containeraccording to claim 1, wherein the bottom wall includes at least onebottom recess extending into the interior of the container for receivingthe raised sections of the top edge of another container.
 9. A stackablecontainer, comprising: (a) a plurality of sidewalls having respectivetop and bottom edges, a bottom wall connected to the sidewalls, and atop opening defined by the top edges; and (b) an outwardly-protrudingrib disposed on the bottom edges and an outwardly-protruding rimdisposed on the top edges for supporting a second container, wherein atleast a portion of the rib and rim each have a plurality ofcomplementary alternating raised and lowered sections for securing thecontainer in a stacked configuration with the second container, suchthat the bottom wall does not protrude into the interior of the secondcontainer.
 10. A stackable container according to claim 9, wherein theraised sections and lowered sections are spaced for allowing containersof various sizes to be cross-stacked.
 11. A stackable containeraccording to claim 9, wherein the container has four sidewalls disposedin a rectangular relationship, and two of the opposed sidewalls eachinclude two spaced-apart raised sections, the raised sections beingpositioned near the corners of the container.
 12. A stackable containeraccording to claim 9, wherein the bottom wall includes two bottomrecesses extending into the interior of the container for receiving theraised sections of the top edge of another container.
 13. A stackablecontainer, comprising a plurality of sidewalls having respective top andbottom edges, a bottom wall connected to the sidewalls, and a topopening defined by the top edges, wherein at least one of the top edgeshas a plurality of projections and at least one of the bottom edges hascomplementary recesses for securing the container in a stackedconfiguration with a second container.
 14. The stackable containeraccording to claim 13 further comprising a plurality of corner posts.15. The stackable container according to claim 14, wherein the recessesare disposed within the corner posts.
 16. A stackable containeraccording to claim 14, wherein the bottom wall includes at least onebottom recess extending into the interior of the container for allowingsmaller containers to be stacked with the container.